On her release: “I wish I had known [it was coming]. I always asked my coaches what to work on but they always told me I was doing well. Honestly, I wish I had an idea that it might come but I didn’t.

“For now, I need to take a break until I heal but I’m always open to opportunities and to do MMA or wrestling.”

On joining WWE: “I sent my resume out to WWE. I wasn’t a huge fan but I loved the show and always wanted to try something new in my sports career and wrestling seemed like a lot of fun and I wanted to try it. They called me back within a day and asked me to train in Tampa and I fell in love after five days. This is definitely something I want to do in my life.”

Being NXT’s powerhouse Diva: “Of course, I mean, come on. I’m 6’1″. So much bigger than all the other Divas.

“My character was pretty much who I am. I have a strong accent and I can’t hide it. I’m much bigger than the other girls and it was who I am. I tried some different variations but it was always easy to be myself. They asked me to speak more Russian. My character is pretty much who I am. I loved it and still love it.”